Broken Smile
by bethsometimes
Summary: I really suck at titles. And Summaries. The Joker and Harley Quinn's latest plan goes horribly wrong, leaving Harley hurt worse than ever before and The Joker feeling genuine remorse and guilt. Now she needs her puddin's help to recover. Some FLUFF maybe… if you're lucky. Its a lot better than I'm giving it credit for…
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words and my mind. DC owns everything else.

Authors Note: So Iv'e actually been writing this for months but important stuff like University work and actual work have prevented me from having lots of time to get this finished. I currently have 2 chapters down. Here's the first. Enjoy! -Be nice...

Chapter 1

This had been the one and only time he seriously was not expecting her to get hurt. Not as bad as she had.

Since Harley had been with him there seemed to have been a million disappointing jobs, mishaps, mistakes, foiled plots and Bat appearances. Almost every time she was somehow injured. If not by accident, he had certainly been sure to punish her for fucking up. Entirely depending on the degree to which she had messed up. Of course. I mean yeah they had rough sex, sometimes so rough she'd been black and blue for well over a week, he'd even broken her bones once or twice. But that was different, she enjoyed that, she let him. Even when he was so mad it frightened her she hadn't fought back. And after the 'magical' mix that bitch Ivy had given her, she was somewhat stronger than him too. And she knew it. But she never, ever fought back. She always let him be in control, gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and embraced whatever he had thrown at her. Sometimes literally... he had thrown a television at her once and stupidly she had tried to catch it. She shattered her wrist and shoulder but they had both laughed at her stupidity. Seriously Harl, why on earth did you think you could catch it? He smiled pleasantly at the memory.

This time had been different. The plan had been simple, the expectation for damage minimal. If he was honest he hadn't expected it to work but had he expected it to go that wrong.

They had lured Batman to an old abandoned fun fair, and the plan was to trap him in the hall of mirrors with a small bomb. He would be able to see it reflected back at him a hundred different ways and he would have less than 60 seconds to find the real one and defuse it. If he failed, he'd be absolutely shredded by thousands of glass shards. They'd been sure to take the belt and the cape. Of course, they were't that stupid. Harley had even rigged up a colorful bumper car as their escape vehicle, she was so creative like that. That was one reason he secretly enjoyed her company, she'd placed her own vibrant stamp to each and every plan. She was so spontaneous, so imaginative? Of course that meant she made more than her fair share of fuck ups... but she always made up for them. She had mixed cotton candy into the explosive gum, "Pretty sweet explosion huh Mistah J!" and he had laughed hysterically. She really could be absolutely amazing sometimes. But only sometimes.

It had all backfired of course. Batman had found the bomb and defused it. After retrieving his belt he blasted a hole through the roof. But what neither Joker or Batsy knew, was Harley had fitted the bomb with a back up detonator. Only she knew the code. The clock restarted in Jim Gordon's hands with 10 seconds on the clock. Batman had gasped, utterly horrified, making an attempt to stop it, rushing towards Jim madly. There was just no time. Harley had parked the car just under a mega-coster beside the entrance gate. She sat in it laughing wildly, her hands cuffed and the two GCPD officers standing besides her had retreated to safety. Even the Joker had winced from the side lines, gazing upon her somewhat lovingly but mostly with surprise.

Batman had meant to toss the bomb high into the air, shielding Jim from the blast with his cape. Unexpectedly however, the strong wind curved its direction. It hurtled down, landing just beside the bumper car. And Harley. In the last milliseconds before the explosion Harley had dived behind a large wooden 'height restriction' sign and shot Joker a sorrowful glare. His last thought was wondering how loud the blast would be? A week later his ears still rang slightly from the sound of the explosion. Although he could only hear it if he concentrated really, really hard. He remained otherwise unscathed. Batman and the cops had been completely fine of course. Strangely enough Bruce Wayne had recently shown up to a gala sporting a sling, turns out he had dislocated his shoulder in a skiing accident. At least thats what he told everyone.

Harley on the other hand... had not been so lucky. The blast had shattered the coasters supporting railings and sent tons of steel hurting down upon her. It took Batman, the police and Joker's goons nearly 25 minutes just to find her. It was harder once her screams stopped.

"At least you're not dead pumpkin pie!" Joker now stood beside the bed where Harley lay sedated and utterly miserable. He had taken her back to the lair to heal, Arkham had been such a long drive and it wasn't like he was bothered by the sight of blood. He'd been sure to tear away before anyone could take her. The skilled hands of a paramedic with a gun to his head had patched her up as best he could on the way to the lair before the mob doctor arrived. He'd been kind enough to leave enough medication behind to keep her going for months. Joker had shot the paramedic anyway, but had been sure to keep the uniform. Convinced it could come in handy someday. Now his huge marble hand smoothed her hair back delicately, her face was still violent shades of purple and blue. His eyes frowned as he looked over her.

It had been her lower half that took most of the impact but her cheeks and mouth had been smashed by debris. Her eyes now appeared sunken and were rimmed by deep black circles. Her eyes badly bloodshot underneath. He remarked that she had been almost frightening to see at first. Now however she looked almost like a small broken, blonde panda and he smiled. Her arms were plastered, both broken by the blast as she raised them to shield her face. She had broken all the bones in her right hand and the fingers now looked twisted, crushed and her bandages still bloody. Her casts were both hot pink, he'd chosen the color while she had been unconscious, he knew she'd appreciate that at least. The explosion had practically demolished any cover she'd found so some ribs had been crushed and both her legs were broken awfully in many places. The thought of all those compound fractures skirted across Joker's mind and he shuddered slightly. There had been so much blood, so much so he was surprised her tiny body had held that much. Luckily however there was no severe damage to her spine, in fact her back had been nothing more than a tiny hairline fracture. Her pelvis the cleanest break. Now she was held together with near to 300 tiny metal screws, her pelvis fitted with a metal plate and parts of her ribcage were now metal too. He hadn't wanted to know all the gory details, if he was honest with himself he felt slightly guilty. But only slightly.

She now lay sedated and bandaged, hooked up to a morphine drip in the back room of the Larf Factory, serving as their bedroom. Every so often Harley's breaths would turn from harsh deep sighs into high-pitched wheezing and Joker would know to increase her pain relief. Her left lung was punctured in the impact and he found it fascinating to watch her tiny chest rise and fall haphazardly, almost like every breath was a struggle. She still found it hard to speak, more out of exhaustion. For the most part she remained motionless but every now and then tears ran in streaks down her face, a constant frown between her eyes. As he looked over her tiny broken body the feeling came again. This was by far the one and only time genuine guilt surfaced inside Joker. Knowing this, an anger began to bubble within him.

After all, she was of course annoying... and frightfully irritating, persistent, needy, deranged, loud, disrespectful, utterly stupid and clumsy! She regularly embarrassed him, weakened his reputation. She humanized him... which was not entirely a terrible thing. She wasn't completely useless after all. He would never tell her that though. No, she did have her uses... tidying up after him, keeping things organised, feeding his ego somewhat with her encouragement... on literally everything he did. She was a lousy cook, but he was never hungry and she went above and beyond to ensure he was well looked after and always comfortable. She was intelligent, and now and again she was a riot to be around! She had this unpredictable wit that materialized from nowhere! She was so supportive, after all, she was made entirely in his image! She was his, always had been, his to do with and make into anything he pleased. She followed him loyally. She completely and unconditionally loved him. That was another thing... she was hopelessly devoted. After all why else would she put up with a wild unpredictability such as his? Nobody else would, not for free anyway. She however welcomed and embraced it. Oh god but her voice was such a drain, and she always, always wanted something! She felt like she had a god given right to regular displays of affection, like she had earned it... maybe she had. He had given it to her willingly on occasion, of course that had been for his own gratification also. At least he made sure she had thought so, after all they were not equals here. He was the boss, she had to know that. Very rarely, so rarely she sometimes wondered if it ever happened, he would let his guard down. A rough kiss would turn gentle, what was meant as a slap ended up a caress. On that very first night, her first night as Harley Quinn when she had sprung him from Arkham, he had been so grateful and astonished by her and her transformation he had actually made love to her.

And beaten her within a inch of her life the next morning, she never dared to mention it after that, not even once. Now there was just this sensual game of power and submission, a constant exchange of give and take. Despite all her pain and sufferings, she stayed for those rare flashes and glimpses into normality... but it gradually stopped mattering. Soon every moment seemed undeniably perfect to her. Even when she had left, he was always the one to come and get her, he had always found her. Mostly because she always told him where she was, but still. He had sought her out she was always always willing to return. A bunch of roses or a night out in Gotham more often than not rubbed away the memories of why she had left. Cat and mouse was just another game they played. Secretly, since she had manifested herself, he now found it very hard to be without her. He had grown entirely used to and even fond of having her around. Granted she was around constantly which often irritated him into a murderous rage. But somehow not having her seemed worse. He would miss looking up from his desk to see her smiling at him adoringly.

She was the only one who genuinely laughed at his jokes, not out of fear like the boys did. She aided him in every aspect, was able to be in places he couldn't. She still had a disguise of normality and as Harleen she provided him with a advantage point. In the places she was less known she could still manipulate her way into high profile events with a shake of her perky tits and a wink. But as Harley she was... almost his equal. Almost. It was a painful thing for him to imagine that she might just bring out the best in him. She bore the scars of their years together and even though she desperately searched him for more, he knew things would continue in this way until he was willing to change that. If he never did. But even if he didn't he knew that she might accept that too. The longer she stayed, the less she strived for the sunset fairytale ending and was more contempt to accept that she had given up any chance of having a normal family, a husband, children. But she got him. She got to be his, she was invited into a secret special bubble of destruction and together they could watch Gotham burn. She could be happy with that.

For now he sat next to her quietly, her breaths grew strained and he reached for her iv line. Tears fell from her swollen eyes once again and he wondered if feeling guilty and feeling sorry were too entirely different things altogether. Either way he noticed how his hand automatically reached for hers, his thumb grazing her bruised knuckles. She fell back into a deeper sleep and her breathing grew steady. He returned to smoothing her hair back from her forehead. He leant in closer to her face, so close her eyelashes stroked his cheek. He kissed her gently, he wondered if she'd even feel it. Sure enough her heart race increased slightly and he stifled a laugh. He sighed, his poor girl, lying broken because of him and he still made her heart race. He learnt down and pressed his lips to her ear. Mournfully he sighed, "I really am sorry this time kid." The slowing of her heart rate and a fresh flow of tears were her response.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words and my mind. DC owns everything else.

Authors Note: Right-o-roony here's chapter 2! You might even find some of that fluff I was talking about! Personally I believe no matter the condition of someones mind theres still a capability for love. Besides wheres the fun in writing about a Joker that just beats the shit out of Harley Quinn? ENJOY! YOU STILL GOTTA BE NICE!

Chapter 2

It had taken a couple of weeks for the worst of her bruising to fade. Her discomfort improved and whilst high on laughing gas she was able to sit up in bed after nine days. Near enough three weeks for her upper body to really start healing. With her arms out of slings she was able to feed herself properly without pain. Since the accident Joker had permitted Ivy to stay with them to look after Harley. In the initial days there had been so many things he had reluctantly agreed to help Pam with. Feeding Harley for example, he didn't mind that too much. Changing her dressings wasn't too bad either, if he ignored Harley's wincing and crying that is. But then there had been so many intimate needs that he just wasn't prepared to deal with. He figured Ivy could take better care of her in that way, being a woman too and all. Ivy had continued to mix the plant toxins into Harley's drips, hoping to see an increase in her strength. If anything Harley seemed to be excelling in her Physical Therapy much faster than expected, which could only mean good things. At this point, nearly four months later Harley's upper body had almost completely healed. Her arms and chest were badly scared both from the accident and the operations that followed. She could get off the bed and stand without the help of a frame but still couldn't manage more than a few steps. Although her legs were out of plaster and she had adjusted well to the plate in her pelvis, she just couldn't escape the shooting pains the bolts in her joints caused her.

She convinced herself she could walk just fine if she wanted to, however she found it much easier to wheel herself around the lair in the chair Scarecrow had dropped off for her.

Over the weeks Jonathan, Eddie and Jervis had regularly stopped by to check in on Harley. But only when the Joker was out. They were all confident that she would make a full recovery, sure she might never be an olympic level gymnast again... but certainly as flexible as she had been. Maybe. Ivy had decorated Harley's room with a huge array of flowers, they grew up the walls and hung delicately from the ceiling. Harley still smiled every morning when she woke up to the smell of roses. Daisies clung to her dresser and sunflowers grew on the windowsill. It was comforting to feel like Red was always in the room with her. The Joker hadn't shared a bed with her in what felt like forever. Since her accident he either slept on the old coach in his office or pitched up in Harvey's guest room. She knew he wasn't sleeping as soundly as he had next to her. His office sat directly opposite the bedroom and she could often see him passed out on his desk late at night.

Today she saw him hunched over a pile of blueprints and plans. Crayons scattered across the floor and every so often another scrunched up ball of paper would hurtle towards the trash can by his desk. His back was to her but she could see his arms fiercely moving over the paper. He would regularly sigh and reach up a gloved hand to run his fingers through his dishevelled hair. His jacket hung over the back of his chair, his braces hung down by his sides. He'd rolled up the sleeves of his shirt revealing his marble forearms. He wore the dark green shirt today. It was one of her favorites. She stared at him insanely, he looked utterly gorgeous and she couldn't do anything but lay in her bed and sigh about it.

But then why would he want her anyway. He hadn't touched her for months and now she was practically a cripple. She could barely walk without crying out in pain. Her playful curves had dwindled and now she was little more than than a skinny frame. She held herself, running her hands over her arms and stroked up to her bony shoulders. Her collarbones protruded out awkwardly, she rested her hands either side of her neck and frowned. She felt so ugly. The pain medication she was on seriously affected her appetite. She either ate nothing all day instead deciding to kill her hunger by smoking and drinking absurd amounts of cherry pop, or she'd binge on ice cream and cake until she was violently sick. At least the nutrients Ivy had been giving her kept her skin and her hair healthy. In fact she marveled at it now, pulling her blonde pigtails in front of her face. Her hair had grown a lot and now hung down to her waist. She turned to face herself in the mirror on her nightstand. She prodded and poked at her nose, the mob doctor had really done an amazing job of resetting it. She pouted comically, her lips were still full. Her cheeks now flushed a rosy pink instead of shades of black and blue. The cuts had healed up well and she smiled at her reflection. Maybe she was still a looker after all.

Turning away from the mirror she looked down at herself and sighed. Every morning she needed to work the joints in her legs if she had any hope to recover. She dreaded the exercise every time, the pain almost consuming her until she passed out. She pushed back the bed covers revealing her legs stretched out in front of her. She wore a white cami with a set of pink and white stripped pajama shorts and she smiled at the cute lace bow on the waistband. Looking down the bed she glanced at her toes, freshly painted in alternating colours of pink and blue and wriggled them. Leaning down she ran her hands along the sides of her legs to her knees, sighing heavily as she sank her head into her lap. Ahh shit this is gonna hurt she thought taking deep breaths in and out. She gritted her teeth and brought her knees up to her chest, wincing at the creaks her joints gave out. She muffled a cry and brought a hand to her eyes, covering her face whilst her other arm moved to the underside of her thighs holding up her legs. Tears peaked in her eyes and threatened to overflow, She frowned, surely she'd been in worse pain than this? She felt small and pathetic, wondering when, if ever things would get better. She attempted to relax her right leg, letting it stretch back out on the bed but could not let it sink back down. Instead she pulled her knees tighter to her chest, embracing the pain in her back as she curled into a ball. Now the tears she had been holding back escaped and trickled down her face and onto her knees where she rested her head. She remained like this for only a few seconds before a voice from the door caught her attention.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Harley looked up to see The Joker leaning against the doorframe to the bedroom with his arms crossed, he glared at her through irritated eyes and his mouth was twisted into a large frown.

"Im sorry puddin!" she cried, "It's just it... it just.. it.." her crying forcing her words to come out in gasps between hiccups.

"It hurts. I know. You've been saying that for months Harl." He couldn't hide the frustration in his voice and for the first time Harley noticed how his eyes were rimmed with large dark circles. He looked utterly miserable and exhausted. Her crying stopped instantly when she noticed how disheveled he looked, her tone turned to one of concern. "Whats the matter puddin?" He sighed angrily, turning away slightly and raised his hand. He frowned and pushed his thumb and index finger into the corner of his eyes, massaging his tired eyes while he grimaced. What's the matter? Is she seriously that clueless.

In his head he began thinking of a million ways to strangle her. For months and months he had felt utterly powerless to help her recovery, doing all he could to no avail. He had given her all the time in the world, all the care he could and the space she needed to recover. He had literally done everything he could. But all his patience and care had turned to annoyance and hatred when he saw how little she was prepared to help herself. Truthfully he missed her. He missed his Harley. She was strong and defiant, she would withstand anything and bounce back a hundred times stronger than before. Now he had watched as his Harlequin gave up and became this suffocating ball of self pity. He thought he had taught her better. For fuck sake she used to enjoy pain, and now she couldn't even bend her god damn knees. What the fuck happened? He sighed heavily, "I don't know how to fix it anymore Harley." His frustration boiling over. He punched the doorframe and walked away running his hand through his hair again. "I don't know how to fix it." What he would never tell her is that he blamed himself entirely. Sure she did herself no favors, choosing to wheel herself around when they both knew she could walk if she wanted to. Crying all the time, feeling sorry for herself. She was the one who had given up but it was him that had caused all the pain in the first place. He should have protected her, after all she was his, his playmate and he'd let this happen. Guilt consumed him now as he reached for the whisky bottle on his desk. He unscrewed the top and reached for a glass. He stared at it momentarily before throwing it against the wall. The glass smashed violently and he began to neck the bottle. What the fuck am I supposed to do now. It's not the same without her. I can't do anything without her... what if I cant fix her. What if... Ive lost her forever? Oh Fuck. What if... His racing thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. He tuned to look behind him back into the bedroom, Harley was no longer in the bed but the chair she used to move around the lair was still in it's position beside the bed.

...HQ...

What the fuck have I done. Harley stared after The Joker as he stormed off into his office, he picked up a bottle of whisky off the desk. She watched as he picked up a glass before throwing it into the wall. As it smashed he proceeded to down the bottle with one hand leaning against the desk. She realized now that she had seen him wearing that dark green shirt yesterday also. Or was it the day before... was it both? His hair looked unwashed and he swayed drunkenly. He looked truly awful, a broken version of the incredibly strong man she loved. And it was all her fault. She looked down at herself, and then at the wheelchair beside her bed. What are you doing Harley? You know better than to be a victim? She glanced back up to see The Joker now hunched over, shielding his eyes with his hand. He almost looked like he was crying. But she knew better than to expect him to truly care. But now, come to think of it... he had been incredibly caring during her recovery. Guilt swam up in her chest as she thought about all the times he had fed her, clothed her, encouraged her in physio... And you've thanked him by giving up? You've accepted this... you've stopped fighting. He doesn't deserve this Harley. She couldn't escape the truth of her thoughts and she resisted the urge to cry. She needed to stop wallowing in this self pity before she lost him forever. After all, she had given up any chance of a normal life, this was all she had now and she couldn't screw it up. She lifted herself off the bed and stood carefully, eyeing the door to the bathroom witch led off from the bedroom.

She thought better of reaching for the chair and instead paced gently to the side of the bathtub. She leaned down gradually and sat on the side of the tub, turing on the taps and testing the temperature of the water. She pulled herself up with the sink and stood in front of the mirror, twisting her hair up into a scruffy but pretty bun on top of her head. A few loose strands hung in front of her eyes. She lifted off her cami and tossed it by the door, running her hands over her arms. Now she looked down at her shorts and wondered how she could remove them without bending her knees. For as much as she'd decided to change her attitude to her recovery, it honestly was so painful to bend her knees and work the joints in her legs too much. She eased herself down and sat again on the side of the tub and turned off the taps, running a hand in the water to test the temperature and stir up bubbles. She could arch her back and pull them off that way? But getting off her shorts was soon replaced without another thought.

Shit, how am I gonna sit down.. She threw her head back in frustration at the realization. Why didn't I have a shower. She sighed heavily, bracing herself for the pain ahead, trying to cover her concern with the thought of how good her legs would feel stretched out in the hot water. She stood, looking down into the tub debating how to throw her leg over the side into the water when she felt rough hands slide around her waist. His thumbs glided under the waistband of her shorts. She froze, utterly astonished. He hadn't touched her like this since... not since.. She couldn't think clearly now. His body pressed up against her back and his head drowsily pressed against the side of hers. His lips reaching her ear. "Want some help baby?" She couldn't speak even if she tried. Her mouth dropping open and her body involuntarily began to shake. He swayed worse than her and his breath was a hot wave of alcohol. But it didn't matter. She ached for his touch and responded by turning her face to him. His lips began to trail down her neck in small soft kisses as he slipped off her bed shorts. His hands trailed down her thighs, and then higher up to her waist and over her stomach where she placed her hands over his. He kissed her cheek and her face and she cooed softly with her eyes closed. Desperately trying to savor each and every touch. He felt her quickened pulse in her neck under his lips and he now wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against him.

"Im sorry Iv'e left you alone so much and that Ive been so angry." He purred into her hair. She gleamed, her insides turning to mush and the light in her eyes matching her glowing smile. "Im sorry I made this so difficult for ya Puddin. I love you" She felt him smile into her cheek and he spun her around to face him. They smiled at each other, their eyes meeting properly for the first time in months. Her baby blues connecting with his dark and gloomy. They smoldered a burning dark green, hazy from slight drunkenness. Or was it... was it lust? Oh fuck she thought. He caressed her cheek and continued to smile at her dreamily. "Help me into the tub would ya Mistah J." She winked at him wickedly, her tiny fingers working quickly to undo the first few buttons of his shirt. He smiled wider, bearing his teeth before lifting off his shirt and tossing it on the pile of clothes by the door. He held her close to him once more as she nuzzled into his chest, enjoying this quiet painless moment for the minute. "I know this is gonna hurt Harls. Im sorry." "I know." She replied. "Its okay puddin, Im sure it'll feel better this way." Before she had time to process his next moves, he scooped her up into his arms quickly, his arms under her legs and supporting her back. She threw her arms around his neck and grimaced. The shooting pains in her legs caused her to gag slightly and she gritted her teeth against his neck, she let out a small cry and he kissed the corner of her eye to sooth her. He lowered her into the hot water and as she spread her legs out in front of her the pain instantly vanished, replaced with pleasant euphoria and she moaned happily.

He watched her as he removed the last of his clothing. "You're not getting out of morning Physio even if Ivy's not here to help you." Harley turned to him astonished as he climbed into the tub behind her. She lifted her legs, as he sat he slid her forward so she could keep her legs straight. Lifting her onto his lap allowing her to sit between his legs, she leant back and laid happily on his chest. He kissed her hair, and placed his hands over hers under the water. Now they both had a hold of her legs. Although she knew the next few minutes of stretching and bending would be absolute agony Harley couldn't help but feel blissfully content as she leaned against The Joker. He'd spent years teaching her how to mix pleasure and pain together. This would be no different. "You ready?" He purred as he slid his hand under her right thigh. "Bring your knee to your chest and then stretch it back out." She nodded, gazing at the wall opposite her, imagining the task ahead of her.

She began to breath deeply, the fear of the pain tickling the back of her brain. "Shhh" he purred into her ear. "I got you." He kissed her cheek again and she couldn't help but smile. "Bend it in and up! You got it Doc!" He laughed, the sound of it making them both beam inside. They couldn't remember the last time they'd felt this together. He held her closer knowing that soon everything would be just as it was.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words and my mind. DC owns everything else.

Authors Note: My apologies for the hiatus! Would just like to say a massive thanks for all the positive reviews iv'e had on this story! So anyway iv'e got right on and bashed out a couple more chapters! Steering away from the fluff for a second I wanted to write what I felt would be a very realistic situation for poor HQ! This chapters just a little lead up to more J/HQ plot but for the moment I really enjoyed writing the Ivy/Harley friendship! I hope i did it a smidge of justice... I hope! ENJOY, BE NICE! xo

Chapter 3

"So you're feeling better then?" Ivy sat across from Harley outside a coffee shop in downtown Gotham, despite the gloom it was a hot day and both ladies were wearing sundresses. Harley nodded enthusiastically as she sipped from her cup, a cigarette poised between her fingers on her left hand, her nails now painted alternating colours of purple and green. By this point Harley's recovery had progressed dramatically and she'd stopped taking her pain medication altogether. Occasionally she still felt a stinging in her right knee but nothing she couldn't deal with. "Well girl you certainly look healthier" chirped Ivy as she eyed Harley's newly formed curves over the rim of her large oval sunglasses. Needless to say once she'd stopped taking the pills her appetite returned and now she was more mobile she'd put more hours into gym training. She had to admit, it felt good to get back on a beam, to twirl and spin her way around a room again. She was still in the process of mastering a double backflip though, but she knew she'd have it down by wednesday and she smiled. "Honest Red I feel great! It's like everythin's back t.." She stopped suddenly, dropping her gaze to the floor and taking a long drag of her cigarette. Ivy's eyes narrowed questionably as she noticed the sudden dramatic change in Harley's body language. "But..." she pressed and watched as Harley stubbed out the butt and took to fiddling with her sunglasses in her lap. Harley sighed, it was such a lovely day and she never really liked offloading her problems onto Ivy. Especially not when they were having a nice time. "Oh it's nothin' Red." She pouted as she tired to push back tears, looking up to the sky and then to Ivy who was still staring at her, although rather irritated now. Harley opened her mouth to speak but before she could Ivy exploded. "What did that bastard do now? I thought he was supposed to be helping you!" Ivy's fingers gripped the handle of her mug whilst her other hand clenched into a fist on the table. For weeks Harley had droned on about how her wonderful puddin had been the key to her recovery. About how loving and caring and patient he was. I knew it was all bullshit she thought. Her voice came out loaded with venom "What the hell did he do! Tell me!" Harley couldn't stop the onslaught of tears as they burst out, makeup ran in streaks down her cheeks and she covered her face with her hands. She sobbed into her fingers as she learned onto the table, knocking over her mug and her elbows rested in the coffee that had been spilt. "Oh Red! It's not what he's done... It's what he hasn't!"

That thew her. Ivy's mouth opened, then closed. She reached up and took off her glasses, learning in closer to Harley. "What are you talking abou.." Her words trailed off as she tried to hear herself speak over Harley's loud wails. "Harley stop crying for God's sake and tell me what's going on!" Harley straightened up and quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes. Ivy handed her a handkerchief from her purse and she blew her nose. She sighed once more and handed it back to Ivy who grimaced and tossed it to the floor. "Well everythin's been so amazing lately Red! Mistah J's been real helpful!" Harley smiled shyly, a blush escaping across her face as she thought back to all the bath physio and late night ice cream sandwiches. She looked up to see Ivy waiting impatiently, "Just get to the point!" "Okay Okay! Geez! So really Red everythin's been great! It's just we... erm... still haven't..." She shot Ivy an embarrassed look as she twiddled her thumbs awkwardly on the table. Ivy raised her eyebrow as she lightly tapped her fingers on the ashtray, "Still haven't what?" Harley flushed crimson and dropped her gaze to her lap, she could feel Ivy's eyes eating into her face. It killed her to think she'd have to say the words out loud. "We still haven't... you know.." Harley gestured with her hands, joining her thumb and index fingers to make a circle and put her other index finger through it twice. Ivy caught on when she saw this and slapped Harley's hands away in disgust "Seriously Harl!" However when she saw the genuine look of pain in her friends eyes she sighed and reached across the table, taking Harley's hands in hers. "Im sorry girl, it's just... erghhh" the thought of the Joker with his shirt off made her shudder violently and she resisted the urge to gag.

After all, Harley was her friend, her best friend and this was clearly upsetting her. The least she could do was listen. I wonder if Crane could cook me up a memory loss toxin? Harley smiled sweetly at Ivy "Please Red, I don't know what to do?" Tears welled up behind her eyes once more as she began talking. Ivy listened and nodded along where appropriate, trying her hardest to feel sympathetic for her clearly deranged friend. More than anything she thought about how lucky she was to be single. "He started sleepin' in the bed with me again after we started the bath physio! So I just thought that.. I donno, that.." She searched Ivy for help "That things would naturally progress from there" continued Ivy. She wanted to avoid saying the words as much as Harley did. "Yea exactly! Maybe not straight away but.. eventually! But it's been weeks Red! Im like back to normal and he still doesn't wanna.." Harley's bottom lip began to tremble and tears ran down her face involuntarily. "Is it me Red? Be honest!" Ivy sighed, "Oh Harley would you stop! You're really asking if it's your fault that psychotic creep wont..." She trailed off and growled agitatedly, pressing her fingers into her temple. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation again. Although... when she thought about it now, she couldn't remember the last time they did. Ivy looked up "How long has it been?" she asked bemused. Harley suddenly recoiled, curling up in her chair. She lifted her legs onto the seat and wrapped her arms around her shins, resting her head on her knee sadly. "Not since the accident." She frowned heavily but her tears had ceased. Ivy noticed how she just sat mournfully, staring at the floor as she spoke. "Actually it's longer cause we had sex three days before I think?" Ivy scrunched up her face, her eyes closing tightly in disgust. JESUS Harl don't say it out loud! Now ill never get the image outta my.. ergh Gosh darn it! She opened her eyes to see Harley looking up at her meekly, she looked so small and so hurt. If she was honest she found it slightly pathetic to see her crying over a dry spell with the Joker but she reminded herself to be open minded. "Gosh it has been a while." Ivy replied dryly, making an attempt at sympathy but failing dramatically. Harley didn't notice however and instead launched into a monologue. "I know right! So I figured maybe he just needs reminding of how much I love him! Y'know like a surprise! To say thanks for bein' so wondaful the last coupl'a weeks!" Ivy was learning on her elbow with her head resting in her palm, her other hand stirred her now cold coffee. She kept her eyes on the swirl of liquid in her cup as she nodded and hummed in agreement.

Harley beamed as she continued, reaching down by her side into a shopping bag and pulling out something excitedly. Ivy looked up and a frown appeared between her brows "What on earth is that". She looked questionably at the very small and very thin purple silk and black lace garment Harley displayed proudly. "Its a nightgown! I got it in my Puddin's favorite colour! Im gonna wear it tonight!" She squeaked happily as she folded it into the ghastly pink and scented tissue paper and put it back into its bag before pulling out an equally ghastly see-through set of matching purple panties. Ivy sighed, letting her fiery head fall lazily, her hair flowing onto the table. She shot up, throwing it around her head and over her shoulders. "Why don't you just chain yourself to the dinner table with ice cream on your tits? Hmm? Or maybe just throw yourself naked at his feet covered in chocolate sauce?" Her voice was dry and harsh as glass, loaded with sarcasm and disapproval. It disappointed her to see Harley diminish herself to little more than some sexual plaything, why couldn't she see her worth? So what the Joker didn't want to push her buttons? Ivy could think of plenty of guys who would! And she wouldn't need to dress like a desperate whore to get it either! "Do you think that'd work Red?" Harley ached for reassurance and Ivy couldn't help but see the desperation in her eyes, she sighed and smiled at her lovingly. She had to hand it to Harley, she always tired. "No. Im just kidding. The... dress is nice Harl. Besides Im sure it'll all work out, just don't do anything you don't want to." Harley beamed back at her, her eyes beginning to sparkle slightly and she leaped up quickly rushing to Ivy's side. She kissed her on the cheek with a loud "Mwha!" and Ivy couldn't help but smile wider. She liked to see Harley happy. "Thanks for everythin' Red! Your the best friend a girl could ask for!" "And you are as amusing as always Harleen!" Harley winked over her shoulder at Ivy before putting on her large black rimmed glasses. She bent down to pick up her bags and skipped off happily towards the abandoned theatre. Ivy sighed once more, learning down to pick up her own purse. She opened it, pulling out a mirror and her favorite shade of poisoned lipstick. She reapplied it and pouted, smiling at her reflection happily and wondered if it was worth giving Harvey a call. After all, why should Harley have all the fun.


End file.
